Society6 store is up and running! And part of my grand opening is free shipping through next Sunday! (4/12). Follow this link to get in on it! society6.com/xadrea?promo=74QF…

Yeeeeap, just been what I've been for the past 8 months...inexplicably busy I'm less than 4 weeks away from achieving the skill cape in art (that is my Master's hood *flails wildly*) In the small amounts of free time I've had I've been working on revamping Queenie (yes, it's been almost a year since I've actually posted a new page, but it's coming I swear!) and developing an idea for a children's book I've decided to self publish yaaaaay Oh and dealing with under employment as usual Piecing together lil gigs here and there I'm setting up a store on Society 6 (finally) and that should help some (or not, but at least it's a possibility to sell work lol). So what's new with you fine people? Anyone have anything super neat coming up?

And a month into the new year no less Sorry for my repeated absences from dA, again I've been UBER busy with finishing up my program and working. So a couple of things have happened (good news first, bad news last):

Remember the book project I was working on? IT'S DONE AND PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR WOOOOOOOT! It's a children's book titled The Catch of the Day and the author's name is Harris Tobias. You can grab a physical copy on CreateSpace: www.createspace.com/5284571Or a Kindle version on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B00STUZF5S

It's the first time my work has appeared in print media You should buy a copy

I've successfully been teaching a watercolor class for kiddles on Saturday mornings for about a month now. 2 more classes left in this session and hopefully my class will run again for the following 6 week session.

I've been working my assistantship (grad assistant) and so far that's going ok. It's a little stressful sometimes depending on the things I have to do, but for the most part ok.

I've applied for several shows (Virtual Insanity at Whitdel Arts, Art Now Series: Painting 2015 at the Ann Arbor Art Center, Art. Downtown in Grand Rapids, Museum Without Walls: American Art Now in Central Park, and Folktales & Legends at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center).

I'm looking for teaching jobs, residencies, and the like and it turns out there's a semester long residency at Central Michigan University (only 2 hours north of where I currently live) that would be PERFECT so I'm applying There's a great chance I won't get it, but I'm trying to be optimistic XD.

I was getting a ganglion cyst in my right wrist (dominant hand) that was starting to effect my range of motion and causing some discomfort but it popped on it's own after I accidentally slammed my hand into a door Hopefully it won't return

and lastly, the bad news...

Remember that awesome internship I had that turned into a job? Well I got laid off a week after I got back from Christmas vacation Honestly I wasn't even all that upset. I was expecting something of that caliber to happen (since these things always happen), so eh, I'll figure it out. Finger's crossed

There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to pricing artwork to sell. Why you ask? Well for one there are many variables that go into determining the cost of the artwork. It’s for that very reason that many artists (including myself in the past) sell themselves tremendously short. Another reason we as artists feel our palms getting sweaty when someone asks for a price to an artwork is because we feel as though we’re not being true artists if we accept money for our work. No, no no. Listen, I can tell you from experience that the “starving artist” lifestyle is waaaay less glamorous than it sounds when your pantry is bare for reals. There is absolutely nothing shameful about getting paid for honest work, so don’t try to make yourself feel guilty or ashamed of turning a profit. On the other hand, artists fall into the mire of not even knowing how to price individual artworks. This confusion only gets worse when you look at the price tags in galleries or check out Sotheby’s.

Today I’m going to give you a few tools to get started!

What’s your time worth?

You know that saying, “if you don’t value your time no one else will?” It will serve you well when it comes to pricing your artwork, especially if you are a craftsperson, or if you are making non-tangible things (digital artwork, design work, or writing) to start off with an hourly wage for yourself. Be reasonable, and by reasonable I don’t mean starting at whatever your state’s minimum wage is. For example, let’s say you set your hourly rate at $15 and create an artwork that you spent 20 hours on how much do you charge? I know, I know I can hear you all now, “ damnit, Xadrea! You know artists are bad at math!!” Just pull out the calculator and get on with it. Your earnings with those hypothetical numbers would be $300 (wage x time = cost).

Regardless of what anyone tells you what we as artists do does in fact matter. We are legit, we are professionals, we are important, and we deserveto be paid.

What’s your stuff worth?

For those of us making tangible artwork, it’s incredibly important that we know what our materials cost. Now, in no way am I discounting the fact that you must spend money in order to make it. The fact of the matter is if you’re spending more than you’re making, you’ve got a problem. This is one of the ways it’s so easy for artists to sell themselves short. Let’s say you make a painting and your materials cost you $30. Modify upon the previous equation to this: wage x time + materials = cost. Your earnings would then be $330.

If your work is 2D (paintings, drawings, and the like) you may want to base your charges on the scale of the artwork. You can do this by charging by square inch (height x width) or by linear inch (height + width). With both you would need a multiplier, essentially what you want to charge per square or linear inch. Let’s say you choose a multiplier of $1 per square inch. The equation you would use for an 11x14 painting charging by the square inch would be the following: height x width x 1 = cost ($154). If you used the same scaled painting to charge by the linear inch with a multiplier of $10 your equation would be the following: height + width x 10 = cost ($151). This method of charging will help you establish consistent prices for similarly sized artworks. Whether you decide to charge for labor is entirely up to you.

Selling on dA for points

Many of you folks sell your artwork on dA which is great! There are plenty of opportunities to sell through the prints shop or to sell content. I realize that many of you accept points as payment, and there are some things you should know about going that avenue. The first thing you should have a complete understanding of if you accept points as payment is their monetary value. 100 points sounds like a lot doesn’t it? 100 points is equal to $1.25. Know your conversions to $ when you set points prices. Also, be smart about what you decide to sell. Remember, if you choose to sell Premium Content through dA (as opposed to charging points yourself) you will be subject to a 20% tax (so you keep 80% of your earnings). Stop wrinkling your nose, you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal anywhere else online or in real life for that matter. I’ve shown at galleries that require up to 60% of whatever the artist sells in artwork. Refer to this handy journal ayame-kenoshi.deviantart.com/j… to learn more about selling premium content. Refer to this handy points calculator by charfade to get quick and accurate conversions of points to $USD.

You set the prices, so don’t sell yourself short

This last point goes back the first point: value your time. Often times we as artists feel uncomfortable putting a price tag on what we make because we somehow feel unworthy to do so. What ultimately happens at that point is some serious undercharging. Stand firm on whatever prices you choose to sell your work, and market yourself accordingly. If you charge too low you’re not only losing sales, you’re cheapening your artwork and losing potential collectors and clients as well as other artists. Do not do it.

For more handy ideas on how to start selling your artwork check out these articles!

I was taggled by TheCreativeJenn to make a Christmas wishlist I'll tag some folks at the end, but feel free to make your own and tag others!

STEP ONE

Make a post to your DA journal. The post should contain your list of ten holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a ______ icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("all I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV."). The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your DA or link to this post so that the holiday joy will spread.

STEP TWO

Surf around your friends list (or friends' friends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now, here's the important part:

If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use -- do it.

You need not spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf -- to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not -- it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Give, and you might receive. and you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

My Wishlist

01. As you all are probably aware, I'm in the homestretch of completing my Master's degree in painting. At this point I'm in machine mode to make as much work as possible for my thesis show in May and that means restocking my arsenal of supplies to create the work. The priciest thing that I have to purchase regularly to make my artwork is epoxy resin, but I did list the other things that I will need to restock to continue arting in my Amazon wishlist if you feel so inclined to be one of Santa's elves

02. I love getting art gifts on dA, and I've been made tons of fun things from franz over the years and it would be nice to get moar

03. In 2015 I wish to move! I commute an hour to and from school because of the distance, so in order to do that I need to get my lease paid off (about $3500).

04. I wish that my brother will do well in his new paramedic program and job as a school nurse.

05. I wish to find more and better illustration/art jobs this upcoming year to continue bulking up my portfolio and all that ^ ^

06. I wish to find more time to start working on my webcomic again! I want to move the current website over to a Comicpress site, but I know NOTHING about code so if you are a WordPress/Comicpress/HTML whiz lemme know

07. I wish my friends who are looking for work in their fields are able to find it this year.

08. I wish my friends who are expecting to have safe pregnancies and healthy beebeez.

09. I wish to continue to upgrade my tablet skillz (I have a Wacom Bamboo).

10. I wish for my final semester of grad school to go smoothly and without much stress

dA goes and changes it's logo and swatches D: Okay okay, so I was gone for more than 5 minutes but I'll have to say it was a bit of a shock to see the changes in my absence. I did read spyed's blog though (and this is in no way bashing him or dA), and I'm not loving the visual changes. However, I understand the reasoning behind the changes and I applaud the team at dA for all their hard work in keeping us deviant. Alright, so enough about that

So where on earth have you been Xadrea? Well, I'm one semester from finishing my master's degree so that's been a huge time suck On top of that I've had a buttload of opportunities to show work (and that's always the way it goes lol, there will be a dry spell then all of a sudden BAM OPPORTUNITY). I showed work with EXPO Collective in Chicago again this past weekend this time for a fundraiser/benefit/auction during The Miracle Center's production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I'm waiting to get my piece back from the national show I was in at the Southwest University of Visual Arts in Tuscon. And I have a solo show coming up on the 20th at the Barberton Gallery of Fine Arts when I go home for Christmas. Speaking of that, I'm heading home to Ohio for a month in 2 days

Work is going well, they're really nice people. And by really nice I mean that if someone calls my cell while I'm at work and either of my bosses come into my office when I'm on the phone they'll apologize profusely for 'disturbing' me Also, they had no problem with me not being around for 4 weeks for the holidays. On top of that, hours are whenever I wanna make them since I'm not full time, and that works really well around my class schedule.

Also, I got another job I'll be a graduate assistant to one of the painting professors at my school. She's already given me quite a bit to do in the last two weeks XD I gave her my phone number so she can text me and I might start regretting that once the semester starts The good thing is I get to punch in hours for the last two weeks so I'll get paid for my 'training'

Now that that three week detour is over, I'll be able to get back to my regular weekly things and that means dA and uploading artwork more frequently I've fallen behind on my school work a little bit as well as a result of working for 21 days straight (you have no idea how tired I am ) got a B on my art history midterm and my professor said she was surprised and wondered if anything was wrong Anywho, I'm in art machine mode now since I have a midterm critique in my painting thesis class next Tuesday, also I have a painting that will be in a show in Chicago this weekend woo! First major city I've shown in ever Here's a little blip that the collective I'm showing with put together on their tumblr for promotion: expocollective.tumblr.com/post…

Here's the poster if any of you peeps will be in or around that area this weekend, check it out! There will be fanart vendors and a ton of artwork

*WARNING LONG JOURNAL ENTRY WILL BE LONG*So if you guys remember, last year I participated in ArtPrize. Well this year I'm curating the venue I am currently working at All the artists are happy (and some of them are really happy XD) but OMG that was a lot of work. Hanging any kind artwork is a bit of a job, but we had 16 artists installing pieces and many of the 2D paintings were multi paneled (one of the REALLY big ones is an 8 panel painting). I did discover that my math isn't as horrible as I originally thought because I was able to match wall dimensions to painting dimensions and find the center of things fairly quickly and correctly. Also, this whole ordeal has once again reminded me of how much I despise being short I'm 5'1 which really blows when it comes to hanging things because my eye level is MUCH lower than normal sized human's eye level. Also, this means lots of ladder climbing. I don't mind climbing up high (and by high I mean 20 or 30 feet...this office space has uber high walls), I do mind having to drag the thing all over the place XD. We've got nice track lighting in the office space too so I had to adjust it to make all the artwork pop and shine and twerk (gets shot). Managed to burn the ever loving shit out of my left thumb doing that because the lights are extremely hot from being left on 24/7 XD. The last 5 artworks were installed yesterday back to back over a course of 4 hours but all the artists are SUPER nice and really like me so that's a plus One thing I find unusual is that my boss and the other staff (who are his family members ) think it's odd that I'm being so nice to the artists...and even stranger still that they are surprised by the things being installed. Here's the thing about ArtPrize: there is no jury, anyone over 18 can enter, and venues (that is businesses and galleries who want to host art) get to pick who they want to show work in their space. That means they picked all the art for better or worse. One piece, a large set of banners, seems to be causing them all stomach aches. And while I agree its no masterpiece it's not ugly or even poorly crafted. Anyways, as an artist who is in the role of curator in this instance, I'm finding it important to not only make sure all the artwork fits and has a place in the venue, I'm making sure the artists are happy with their experience because that matters too. Also, we have some pretty important rules to follow as a venue and can get in huge trouble if anything is damaged or done without artist consent.

Anyways, in other news I got invited to show work in Chicago with EXPO Collective in this: expocollective.tumblr.com/post… UBER pumped for this!!! The show is a tribute to 8 and 16 bit gaming (80s and 90s games) and I've been thinking of doing a mashup between Final Fantasy(Playstation X) and Mystical Fighter (Sega Genesis). I'm also excited because this is the first show I'll being doing in a major city *flails* ZOMG IS THIS FOR REAL?! TWO OF MY MOST FAVORITE THINGS TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE?! Also, I'm rolling around the idea of selling merch there too, I'll see if I have enough time to make other stuff to sell (probably won't but I'mma try anyway!).

School's going good, if I haven't mentioned already, I'm in my last year of grad school (FINALLY) so the pressure's on to get art made for my spring show. I've got my thesis worked out so now it's time to get in art machine mode *mechanical whirring sounds and clanking*. I'm taking an art history (The Body in Art Seminar), painting studio (Graduate Painting Studio: Thesis), and teaching class (Graduate Teaching Seminar). The teaching class is taking up most of my time of course because the materials are somewhat foreign to me Our first assignment was to do a classroom lecture and I ROCKED IT And you know what I owe it to? YOU GUYS! That's right, all the people who suggest and read my tutorials are actually helping me get ready to teach on the college level! I actually re-read most of my watercolor tutorials to get ready for the assignment and I "lectured" for about 25 minutes with no problem The professor for that class is really tough and will not hold back if you suck (she seriously tore into a few people that day actually D but she had only positives to give me for feedback outside of a few obvious things (like certain terminology that would not be understood by freshmen). In my opinion, the lecture was the hardest assignment for that class. The other ones are a syllabus, a live demo, and a full application to a college of our choosing to be on faculty as an adjunct. I just find the rest of the assignments easier because they require mainly writing and I've got that in the bag Also, the demo will be a cinch because I'll just reference one of my tutorials!

Hey gurl hey. So school starts on Monday and I can't say I'm terribly excited about it, but at least I'll get to see my real life buddies everyday again and hang out with them and all that schtuff. It looked like I had a job with a cleaning company for about 2 seconds, but my class schedule (which is really not that extensive) won't configure with it at all. I called the company manager about this and she's unwilling to try to compromise with me (she said she'd call me on Monday, not sure why because she already told me my evening class schedule won't work so...yep). THE AGONY WILL NOT END I SAY.

However, thanks to my financial aid book advance and my mom's generosity my rent (which was 3 weeks past due ) is paid. The only decent thing I have going now is that I will at least be able to pay rent and some living expenses with the education benefits I get from the VA (and that's what they are meant for, so don't sass me). I requested to be considered for one of the open graduate assistantships, but I'm really not sure if I'll be picked for it since classes are nearly about to begin. If I did get it, it would be great because the pay is great, the work is interesting and I'll get college teaching experience. Fingers crossed, yo.

So, c'est la vie. I got two more illustration gigs, but one is not guaranteed to turn out in a profit for myself or the author. But, since I'm not in any position to turn down any and all opportunities I took it. The other is a done deal, but I won't be paid for a bit since the company's payment policies are on a 45 day schedule from the completion of the project. If the former does turn out, I will at least be able to pull in royalties for a bit. Such is the perilous life of a freelancer

I'm seriously considering getting connected with an agency or a representative so that I can get more frequent and higher paid jobs, but I'm still getting all the information about how to get one and what to look out for, so that's a slow going thing. The good thing is I have a friend who works in publishing so she can give me tips on how the industry works when I need them.

So what about you guys, you heading back to school soon? Starting highschool? College?

So. Still jobless. I have no clue as to why everyone everyone is refusing to hire me. Eviction is yet again imminent and now my utility companies are threatening to cut the umbilical. In what world does having a fucking bachelor's degree and almost a master's equal "overqualified?" Oh yeah. The good ole US of A. I have lost count of how many applications I have sent out because I almost never get replies even if I call. I've had dozens of interviews, none of them have worked out. The teaching position I thought I had in the bag won't begin until January and even then I'm not guaranteed a job because they can cancel classes if not enough people sign up for them. The company I was freelancing for has totally left me in limbo and I have zero savings. I don't even have anything that I can sell because no one wants to buy my artwork (not for what it's worth anyways...and no I WILL NEVER do $1 and $5 commissions, that is insane).

I wouldn't be as depressed if the fact that I'm graduating in the spring wasn't happening. If I can't get a job now how the hell am I going to get a job once I actually have another goddamn degree? If I was born 20 years ago this would not even be a problem, I wouldn't have even chosen to get a master's degree because I'd be set with a full time well paying job with just a bachelor's. I'm sick of being jerked around and jumping through hoops and spouting off buzzwords during interviews. I'm tired of constantly worrying about money. Every single time I think things can't possibly get any worse they instantly do. I found out yesterday that somehow I owe my leasing company almost$900. I have no idea from what ass they pulled that figure so today I get to go plead for clemency yet again.

I would punch a wall, but I'm too tired to do so. I really can't take this anymore.

Hello patients! I've written a few blogs and tutorials on critique that I'll link at the end of this blog (along with some others I think you will like too) for you to quickly reference! In light of the previous blogs <Avoid That dArama and <No more excuses, it's time to improve your art I wanted to write some things about critique to bring both blogs full circle. I also realized that I failed to fully explain what critique even is in the previous things I've written on the subject Before I begin let me start off by saying that I don't write each blog for Artist's Hospital in a vacuum Each blog is about one specific topic, I can't throw in everything because then I would be writing a book!

So here's how I'll do this: we'll talk about what critique is, what it isn't, break it all down, explain common issues, then let's have a taco party!

I can hardly contain my excitement too!

What Critique is

An objective overview

A constructive formal analysis

An intelligent conversation about an artwork's strengths and weaknesses

A detailed evaluation

Just so you know I didn't make those points up myself, here are the dictionary definitions of the word 'critique:'

What a Critique is not

A personal opinion

Only negative/critical

A personal attack

Only positive

Based on dictionary definition of the word, it's easy to see that critique is none of the above (although those methods are used frequently around dA). For education purposes here's the dictionary definition for the word 'critical.'

2. expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art.

The correct way: let's break it down!

An objective overview

What does it mean to be objective? Being objective simply means leaving your opinions and expectations at home. Think of it this way, if you're having a tough time making a decision it helps to have someone who does not have an emotional attachment to the outcome to give you some perspective. Art inspires our deepest emotions, and while acknowledging an emotional bond you may have with an artwork can be helpful, it can easily cloud up your critique magnifying glass.

A constructive formal analysis

If you're unfamiliar with formal analysis, read <Getting better at critique: Formal Analysis for a detailed explanation in this critique tool. For the sake of keeping things moving, let's continue with this point. For our purposes (artists who are working on improving our work) constructive comments are what we are in desperate need of. What does it mean to be constructive? It means not simply offering an observation of what is not working, it means offering ways to improve it. In your constructive comments, be sure to offer realistic advice. For example, it's unhelpful to tell someone that they need to work on color temperature when it's evident the artist has an elementary understanding of color theory. Break things down to the level of the person you are critiquing, you will help them even more.

An intelligent conversation about an artwork's strengths and weaknesses

Speaking intelligently doesn't mean being bourgeois or highbrow (or an asshole, everyone hates those XD). It means using appropriate language. "Values," for example, is a more intelligent (and correct) way to talk about "lights and darks" in an artwork. Words like ineffective, unsound, and inexact are less likely to be construed as an attack than words like wrong, useless, bad, or broken. It's also helpful to remember that a critique is also a two way conversation. Allowing an artist to explain their intentions can give you further insight into the work and help you give an even better critique!

A detailed evaluation

Being as detailed as possible is both for your benefit and the artist! It will help you digest all the information in the artwork so that you can begin your critique, and it will help the artist recognize things they might not notice they put in their work.

The incorrect way: let's break it down!

A personal opinion

Personal opinions are really important, but they don't have much of a place in a critique. Personal ideas, morals, beliefs, likes, dislikes, etc. can get in the way of helping the artist. Check yourself consistently throughout a critique to be sure that you are not inserting your opinions. That's an entirely different conversation altogether. You may mention you're not a fan of something in the piece, but only do so if you are eloquent enough to instill that that fact does not render the work a "bad piece of art."

Only negative

It seems counterintuitive to say that a critique should not be only negative. Calling out problems in an artwork is important, are you saying that we shouldn't, Xadrea? What are you talking about? What does water taste like? What is the meaning of life? What is the universe?!

</span>

Calm down! There is a method to this madness! Here's an example of the dangers of a purely negative critique: Japanese American visual artist, interior designer, and architect Isamu Noguchi created a sculpture of a lynched black man titled Death in 1939. The overwhelming response to the piece was intensely negative and reported as being "a little Japanese mistake." Those words stayed with him throughout his career because they called upon his insecurities of his mixed ethnicity and the horrors of racism in the United States.

Balance is necessary to any and every good critique. Breaking someone's confidence as an artist is not necessary to give a good critique. And to handle what I mean about an artists's confidence is not me saying that you need to avoid bruising an artist's ego. Everyone's egos need a slap every now and then. I'm saying that you should never, ever, cause someone to question their passion as an artist.

A personal attack

If you are on the receiving end of a critique, it can be hard to hear some unsavory things about your artwork, even if you asked for it XD! If the person you are being critiqued by is not insulting your intelligence, calling you names, insulting your skill level, theyare not attacking you. I repeat, you are not being attacked. Do not respond childishly if your ego gets bruised during a critique, rather wait until you cool off to continue the conversation.

This goes for those of you giving the critique. If there's an artist you don't care for critiquing them is not a cloak and dagger way for you to find fault with them. Don't use critique as a way for you to exact punishment, hurt feelings, or undermine someone else. Cutting someone down is a vicious way to bolster your own damaged self confidence. Do, not, do it.

Only positive

Critiques should contain positive observations because they will let the artist know what is working. However, your observations should not only be positive! Likewise, if you are asking for a crit, you should not expect only positive feedback! If you only wanted positive feedback you were never asking for a critique in the first place. Only positive remarks will not help you in the long run because they overlook the things that are in need of work.

A critique is no more a pat on the back than it is a punch in the face

Balance is key in giving critiques, and remembering that it is for your benefit is the key to receiving them! However even the best laid plans can be spoiled by a misunderstanding. In this section I'll lay out some of the most common issues that come up during critiques.

_____ can't "take" my critique!!!

Ok. And? I will be forever confused at the outrage that comes from (and I'm assuming) well meaning artists who are spurned by whoever they were critiquing. Carrying around resentment because someone did not like your well planned and laid critique is like being mad at a baby for crying. For as much time as you wasted giving the critique, you'll waste double that fuming about your smarting ego.

I don't understand the advice I'm being given/words they are using/technique they are describing!

That's an easy one! Just ask! Asking questions throughout the critique should be a two party process. Never be too intimidated to ask questions.

This person is not on my level, therefore I can't accept a critique from them!

Nope. Wrong. You don't have to have experienced something to know about it in detail. It may offer an extra level of insight and empathy yes, but non-artists and those who are no Leonardo daVinci can still give kick-ass critiques too! If you know your basic art elements/principles of design (outlined below), you are qualified to give a critique, 'nuff said.

Principles of design

Basic Art Elements

This is my style/the style of _____

Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to properly handle stylization whether it's personal or an established international style. If your marks are appearing unintentional in your artwork, that is a weakness no matter what you call it. Accept the challenge and improve your work. There are innumerable amounts of books written about stylized drawing whether it's cartoony or fantastical, you're not unique, please accept the critique.

Time for that taco party!

Hey hey hey folks! So the ongoing saga that is my life as a starving artist is yet again in a precarious situation So a couple of good things have happened:

I'll be teaching art classes in a few weeks (not steady work, but I can make a decent amount of quick money with it)

I've got an interview for another teaching position on Thursday this week and an interview at the public museum to be a gallery guard woot

So here's the not so good news: yet another freelance gig fell through and the payment that I would have received for the work was to be used for the balance owed to my leasing company. I only owe them $100, but since I have a total of $0 that's a bit of an issue

So here's what needs to happen, I need commissions! Below is all my commish info and all that jazz, as well as links to my GoFundMe account and Paypal. Share this journal around social media folks!

Commission Info

Provide me with a black and white design and I can silkscreen it on any size white t-shirt. If you have no design in mind, I can sketch one up for you. One color ink only.

Digital Cover Illustrations

(full color with or without text) $75-$150USD

Digital Character Portraits

(black and white or full color) $25-$50USD

Serigraphy (Screenprints)

Full color (3 or more colors) $60-$200USD + shipping if applicable

One color (one or two color) $25-$60USD + shipping if applicable

Watercolor Illustrations

(up to 11x14 in physical size) $35-$125 +shipping if applicable

Frequently asked questions

How do I contact you for a commission? Send inquires through dA via note. Send inquiries through email to mellissajredman@gmail.com

What is your method of payment? Paypal. My paypal email address is mjr39@zips.uakron.edu

Will you accept points as payment? Sorry, only Paypal is accepted.

Are all prices USD? Yes, all listed prices (and or quotes) are USD only.

What is your payment policy? 100% upfront for most commissions. If that is not possible immediately, 50% is required. I will not begin work on the piece until payment is received. If the 50% owed is not received 2 weeks after the initial agreement, the contract is void and I will scrap the project.

Can you ship a commission to me (ie: a painting)? Yes! However you will be charged postage.

Can you ship internationally? Yes! However, you will be charged postage.

What's your policy on copyrighted material? I will do fanart, however the proposed work cannot be redistributed by you for any other monetary gain whatsoever. That being said, I will not copy other artist's (meaning anyone on dA) styles or characters without their written permission. I will draw/paint/sketch your characters with your written permission (a contract will be provided if need be).

Haaaaaay cupcakes! So I'm considering setting up a Patreon to help with my artistic things and also generating some income as I'm looking for new jobbies. The good thing is I'm set to start teaching a painting class in a few weeks That's not a steady job, but it's only 2 hours per class and it has a base pay plus tips woot

So my question is: do any of your folks have a Patreon account? Are you a patron to any content creators? What's your take on it?

In other news I've apparently neglected to show off mah new hairs to you all so BAM

Hey guise! Since I opened commissions, here's my commission info (my old commish info is a bit dated so time to start fresh). Among the regular 2D work I do, I'm now offering CUSTOM T-SHIRTS! Woo! I may add bags if I see cheap canvas available at my local K-Mart/Dollar Tree. So spread the word around and if you're interested shoot me a note!

Frequently asked questions

How do I contact you for a commission? Send inquires through dA via note. Send inquiries through email to mellissajredman@gmail.com

What is your method of payment? Paypal. My paypal email address is mjr39@zips.uakron.edu

Will you accept points as payment? Sorry, only Paypal is accepted.

Are all prices USD? Yes, all listed prices (and or quotes) are USD only.

What is your payment policy? 100% upfront for most commissions. If that is not possible immediately, 50% is required. I will not begin work on the piece until payment is received. If the 50% owed is not received 2 weeks after the initial agreement, the contract is void and I will scrap the project.

Can you ship a commission to me (ie: a painting)? Yes! However you will be charged postage.

Can you ship internationally? Yes! However, you will be charged postage.

What's your policy on copyrighted material? I will do fanart, however the proposed work cannot be redistributed by you for any other monetary gain whatsoever. That being said, I will not copy other artist's (meaning anyone on dA) styles or characters without their written permission. I will draw/paint/sketch your characters with your written permission (a contract will be provided if need be).

Do you do NSFW pieces? Sorry no.

Custom (white) T-shirts

$15-$25 each (one color only) +shipping

Provide me with a black and white design and I can silkscreen it on any size white t-shirt. If you have no design in mind, I can sketch one up for you. One color ink only.

Good news everyone! Thanks to everyone who graciously donated funds to my cause I was able to pay my rent The property manager decided last minute not to take my case to court so I avoided eviction proceedings and legal fees (which would have been a bonafide nightmare). I really appreciate everyone who donated and shared my journal around It means a lot to me!

Now that that crisis is avoided, I'm faced with other not so great things thanks to not having an income.

My bus pass expires at the end of this week and without it I'll have no way to get to job interviews downtown (or to anywhere for that matter...curse living on the edge of nowhere). I'll be able to pick up another one, but it will expire a week after I buy it, thus landing back in the same predicament.

As you can imagine, my utility companies are at my throat for blood, and while I'm sure I can get away a bit longer without giving them anything, that time is nearing closure and I have no candles

So with those two dilemmas facing me now, I'm opening up commissions. I didn't open them beforehand because the money earned at the time would not have been generated quickly enough to deal with my emergency circumstances. So at this present time, they are OPEN. The quickest way I can complete commission requests is digitally, so if you're wanting something done fast that's the medium I suggest Payments can be generated through Paypal or GoFundMe (whichever you choose) and the buttons are below. Again, if you can't donate/commission, please share share share!

So this it everyone. I have two weeks left before I'll be evicted from my apartment. Don't feel guilty if you're unable to help (or if you've donated already). However if you can, please do. I need to raise $350 to pay rent for this month. Last week I was paid for an illustration job I had, but the entire amount of the payment was sucked into my then negative bank account So, although I've raised close to $350, I only have $200 to put toward rent, thus still needing to raise $350. My landlord will not accept anything less than the full amount. This Friday, the 11th, I'll be sued for the rent owed :/

I'm only two semesters away from finishing my Masters degree, and if I have no place to live that goal will almost certainly be derailed. I have an interview for a job next week, but even if I do get it that won't change the fact that eviction is fast approaching because I won't get paid enough or in time to avoid being thrown out.

I seriously hate begging like this since by all accounts because I should have a job, and I should be self sufficient and I know other people who are struggling too will look at this request with scorn. I have had at least 10 interviews and countless numbers of applications sent out in the last 3 months alone

So, all that being said, you may donate to either to my paypal or my gofundme campaign. If you cannot donate to either share the links everywhere. I'm running out of time.

Hey people! So, things aren't that great over here for me this summer for one recurring reason: again I am without work. I launched a GoFundMe campaign about a month ago in the hopes of raising money to help out with my rent. I am currently without a paying job (still interning, and still contracted to several companies for illustrative work, but since there are no new projects, I am without an income). I've been looking hard for new work for months to no avail (like I seriously can't even get a job flipping burgers because I'm "overqualified"). That being said, things are now in emergency mode. I need to raise at least rent for the month of July ($550) and I'm reaching out for a helping hand so that I will not get evicted from my apartment. Any amount donated to my cause would help tremendously. If you would like to donate, you can send funds through Paypal to: mjr39@zips.uakron.edu If you can't donate anything, please share my gofundme link (on my timeline). In return for your kindness, you may commission me for artwork!

The "Feminist art movement" began in the early 1960s. Women’s roles were questioned in society and thus were questioned in art in an article by Linda Nochlin called “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” She argued that there were few women artists because they were held back by a system that denied them equal opportunity (academies and guilds). Also in a society in which the home was run and child rearing was done entirely by women, women did not have the opportunity to engage in academia or the arts. Generally, if women were artists, they had to have male family members representing or teaching them. Painting was the only subject a woman could engage in, but nude models were forbidden for female painters, thus never reaching complete potential for academy standards. Italian Baroque painter Artemsia Gentileschi was one of the few female artists who was able to rise above this. Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith Slaying Holofernes (1614–20) Oil on canvasWomen painters painted vernacular works (life and children). Women have always been creating things, but it was always derided as craft. Women artists in the 1970s decided to raise up the things that were regarded as weaknesses and used them to their advantage in their artwork. They embraced the personal, the homey, with references to the kitchen and child raising (this is our home, and it is as important as politics). They used craft materials, things that were soft and textural, and non-traditional practices. They used the antithesis of high art and materials. They focused on the female body as a thing in flux. The female body is not controlled, and considered evil in both medicine and philosophically.

The new feminists felt the need to celebrate the bodily differences and changes that occur in the female form. The changes affirm life, and change implies growth and life. They began to explore what was called the “messy worlds” of the body; the life forces of the body. Rather than take the usual western philosophical stance of the mind and body split, feminists wanted to praise the body on equal footing with the mind.

Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party

Judy Chicago's most celebrated piece is The Dinner Party. The installation includes women in history who were disregarded or vilified. She wanted to bring women to the forefront. She acknowledges all the people who worked on the dinner party and all the people in the dinner party. She used the shape of a triangle because it represented equality and the pubic area of women. There are a total of 39 women honored with place settings and the floor is decorated with the names of 999 other women from history. Each plate and place setting was made to match the place and time the woman lived. Each plate is designed to look floral or vaginal. She wanted to celebrate the craft and of women and the human body. The women represented by place settings are as follows:

"I was a young woman in the seventies, a time so full of hope. Many of us shared the belief that we as women could help to transform the world, not only for women but for everyone. As an artist, I believed that I could contribute to this transformation through art. I believed that art has the power to transcend differences, to help us see the world through other people’s eyes, and thereby help to create a sense of empathy with those who would otherwise be entirely unknown to us."

Sojourner Truth Place Setting

"I have continued to create art with this goal in mind, and I have seen many positive changes, many of them brought about by the women’s movement. At the same time, feminism has been turned into a dirty word. Several generations of young women—along with many of their male peers—have been persuaded that two centuries of effort by countless women and some men which brought previously unheard of rights and opportunities to these same young women was not something to be proud of, but rather to disown."

Virginia Woolf Place Setting

"Why do I insist upon being called a Feminist artist now, in the 21st century, when many pundits insist we live in a post-feminist world? My definition of such a world involves a toppling of the hierarchy of white male dominance. Since neither our male-dominated world nor the art museums that carry its visual messages have changed enough, I see no reason to abandon the feminism which is one of the few alternative philosophies around. Also, as my underlying feminist philosophy shapes my art, I remain a Feminist artist."

Hatshepsut Place Setting

"It is also important to note that Feminist art is an ongoing, contemporary art movement. It is practiced today by women artists—and some men—all over the globe. It is stylistically diverse yet always focused on the authentic, distinctive, personal content of each artist, a personal content mediated by culture, geography, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and all the many attributes of human individuality."

Emily Dickinson Place Setting

"Do I still hope that Feminist Art can make a difference in the world? My answer is yes. I continue to believe that we need an art that can help us see the world through other people’s eyes and thereby lead us to a future where the world will be made at least a little more whole." - Judy Chicago via Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum

Contemporary Feminist artist Nicole Hand

Nocturnal Respite, etching, lithograph

Nicole Hand is a contemporary printmaker whose works deal with femininity, motherhood, and traditional female roles. She is currently on faculty at Murray State University where she teaches Printmaking, paper making, and bookbinding.

Departed Maturity, etching, lithograph

"Ideas, beliefs, and skills are passed from one generation to the next. The skills that were passed down to me were based on a traditional domestic structure. The duties within my household were divided according to gender roles, influencing my family structure, while at the same time I questioned their validity. The questioning of these roles inspires my work through an autobiographical perspective."

Intimate Discourse, etching, lithograph

"Themes of maternity, reproduction, femininity, closure, transitions, and correspondence are also apparent in my work. I use objects, placed in reliquary-like spaces, which have literal and abstract symbolism within a composition.The interaction between these objects explores the conventional and non-conventional roles of family and at the same time, documents a change of lineage. Layering objects and placing them in dream-like atmospheres suggests change, transition, and reflection. This allows me to preserve history and suggest tension, repetition, and change. The work becomes a documentation of these ideas as well as an organized time line of events with a feminist perspective."

Habitual Entitlement,lithograph

"The techniques of printmaking and bookbinding complement my image development and need for repetition. While the processes are different from the skills I was taught as a child, both need to follow an exact recipe in order to have a desirable outcome. This, combined with my love of drawing, initiates my object-oriented narratives." - Nicole Hand via thINK editions 2011

spiffy journal today about his work history and I thought I'd do that same I'll add in my volunteer jobs too

Job #1: Children's Hospital Volunteer- More commonly known as "candy striping." I was a general volunteer for the Akron Children's Hospital for about 4 years and it was a pretty fun job ^ ^ I moved patients around for tests and x-rays, delivered specimens, blood, charts, beds, specimens, and wheelchairs all around the hospital campus. Occasionally, I did mail stuffing, held babies, played with children, and read stories to kids not well enough to get out of bed. I also led tours for schools and athletic teams. The only reason I quit was because college interfered with my schedule.

Job #2: Student Assistant- More commonly known as a "page." This was my first paying job It had its ups and downs but it was fairly simple and I ended up making above minimum wage after my first six months there (and before state funding was cut and froze all our salaries permanently). Most of the work included shelving, shelf reading, and circulation but there was a lot of general customer service too. You'd be surprised how rude people are in libraries (not to mention creepy and unhygienic) I had that job for 6 years and I quit because I was moving out of state to go to grad school.

Job #3: Service Clerk- I so hated my job at Walgreens as a service clerk. The work itself wasn't too bad outside of long shifts on my feet, and mean customers, it was the people I had to put up with on staff. The managers were unbelievably and unnecessarily rude to the people who worked under them, not to mention I was made to feel like an idiot all the time. If a customer was mad about a price and wanted to talk to the manager, they would take their sweet ole time to come up front, then act like it was MY FAULT for not breaking rules about pricing just to appease the angry customer. This was the only job I was never trained for, not even once. The only way I learned how to do things was by screwing up repeatedly after asking to be shown how to do said task correctly. The reasoning for this? Not enough "time" to train me...this was a 24 hour store mind you. When one of my co-workers who worked in the cosmetics department got pregnant and needed to work shorter shifts (and by shorter I mean 10-6 as opposed to 10-8) the store manager refused until she brought in a doctor's note. This store manager also had very unrealistic sales ideas and we were constantly being pushed to promote things on the front end of the store that were just stupid, like flu shots. He wanted us to ask customers if they got a flu shot, on their way out, and then send them back to the pharmacy for them to get one. That was 1 of 5 questions to ask the poor person while they were simply trying to buy a pack of gum ;_____; "Would you like to buy x, would you like to donate to x, do you have a store card, have you been immunized, on your receipt call the number to rate your transaction and give them my name. Be well." If you didn't say the whole script you'd get chewed out. I swear, the managers would hide to see if you did it, but of course they could never be found if there was an actual emergency. A woman ran into the store crying late one night because her boyfriend had beat her up and was after her. Both managers on duty conveniently split while I called 911 because the effing phone at the FRONT of the store could not call out (can you say irresponsible??), then after the police arrived and arrested the boyfriend and I had settled the woman down they acted like nothing happened and didn't write an incident report. I quit because it was insane to put up with that amount of bullshit on minimum wage with a Bachelor's degree./rant

Job #5: Illustrator- I still have this job I'm a contract illustrator for Laughing Dog Artworks! It's pretty fun, and fairly easy. The guy I work for is pretty straight forward with his projects and he's very transparent about changes he wants in projects. I draw dogs doing people things like playing baseball, walking around a college campus, ect. I'm paid pretty well for it too, so that's always lovely ^ ^ The only downside about it is that it isn't "steady" work.

Job #4: Summer Intern- Last summer I was an intern for a healthy living company that runs it's own social media website thingy. My job was to write blogs that would increase traffic to the website. Ultimately, I'm not sure if that happened, but the editorial staff seemed to like my writing and most of my content was accepted without any critical feedback outside of grammatical errors. The only thing I didn't like about the internship was that I saw almost no one the whole time I was there. I could come in, go to my cubical for 6 hours and not see a soul except the secretary at the front desk.

Job #5: Teen Art Program Intern-By far my most favorite job was interning for the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology. Great people on staff, and great mission. It's a non profit organization that offers after school art classes (and trips to places like Chicago, Toronto, and Yellowstone) for teenagers and job certification/training for unemployed adults...all for free. The classes were cool too, like video production, photography, video game design, street art, and app design. I mostly did office work and things of that nature, but it was cool to see the inner workings of a non profit ^ ^ I was with them for almost a year, and they probably would've liked me to stay even longer, but I need a paying job XD

Job #6: Illustrator (again)- I recently signed a contract with the e-book company Borne Digital as an illustrator. Borne Digital produces e-books (and some published by the company itself) that help kids learn to read and increase vocabulary. This is an unpaid job for now, buuuuut it'll get me some more experience working in this field and with a larger company. Right now I'm working on a cover for O.Henry's The Gift of the Magi.

Job #7: Summer Social Media Intern (again)- Another unpaid internship I'll be a social media intern for a company called TravelersToday this summer. I'll be aggregating viral content for their facebook page(s) and managing them as well. While it is unpaid, it'll give me some more valuable skills and build up my resume more.

So, all in all, I'm looking for more work this summer without much luck so far It's a bit of a catch-22 with the internship thing, they'll give you real workplace experience for short periods of time, but they're rarely paid positions. Meanwhile, you can't get hired in the jobs you'd prefer to have because you don't have enough "experience" Also, already owning a degree automatically overqualifies you for work you can do for some reason...it's the pits mang. Well, I don't want this to turn into a complaints fest so I'll wrap this up What's your work history? Do you have any funny or scary work stories?